


Lost In A Fog

by PrimePulse



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Avatar: The Last Airbender References, Bending (Avatar), Element bending (avatar), Elemental Magic, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Original Character - Freeform, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Original Fiction, Post-Avatar: The Legend of Korra, Spoilers for Avatar: The Legend of Korra, the legend of korra
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:07:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23453770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrimePulse/pseuds/PrimePulse
Summary: Leuvin Nao has lost nearly everything— His wife, his twin children, and what little connection he had to the spirits thanks to the Avatar opening the spirit portals and letting dark spirits run loose during harmonic convergence. The only thing he has left are distant memories and, unfortunately, his brother. Through ambition and love alone, he goes searching for his twins (who he still believes to be alive) with a brother he hasn’t seen since he was 24, hoping not all is lost.





	1. Wake

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story on here, and it's a semi-personal one I've been working on for awhile. It features OCs that exist in the ATLA/ATLOK universe, during Korra's story. They do not know or interact with any characters from the show, though there are references to them. I mainly upload the chapters on Toyhou.se first but I'll do my best to upload them here too if there's enough interest! You can find all the characters of mine featured here, https://toyhou.se/PrimePulse/characters/folder:1234998
> 
> Please note I'm a minor and there won't be anything sexually explicit, or anything of that nature in this story. Please don't comment anything like it either.

Harmonic Convergence was over. The Avatar had won, and the spirit world and physical world were now one. This was a victory, even if most hadn't seen it yet and wouldn't come to terms with it until much later, but even then every victory has sacrifices that must be made. Dark spirits did not leave the world untainted before or during the convergence, leaving thousands injured and evenmoreso dead if they dared to fight back. The water tribes, being closest to the spirit portals, suffered the most.

There were only a few things he could remember. Pain, ripping through his chest and spine. Screaming. Blood. So much blood. And a bright light accompanied with the sound of shattering glass. Glowing blue water surrounded him, eyes as heavy as his body, fully conscious but not awake. He drifted delicately between life and death, a fragile yet graceful dance on a tightrope hanging both above and below the worlds of the living. The tight rope began to shake as he continued the dance, growing more and more frantic, desperate, and disheartened as his legs continued to move. The stars were his audience and the clouds were his net, the dance between life and death. He felt the cold winds of those before him brush against his face and arms and the hot hands of those yet to come tugging at the rope, growing more violent with every second to pass. He felt the beads of sweat on his head freeze and boil over at the same time, head steady yet lighter than air. He heard the stars chanting to a beat he couldn't comprehend, yet it felt so familiar, his ever quicker steps matching their universal beat. The hands continued to pull, the wind's blowing growing softer, he could see a woman in the distance. Someone he knew, someone he loved, someone he–

"ISUKO!" Leuvin shrieked as he jerked awake from his forced slumber, body hot and cold, dripping with sweat and water. The nurses around the pool he was in jerked back at the sudden movement and yell, watching the man in front of them heave and shake as he looked around wildly, eyes filled with fear. Leuvin suddenly jerked, breath hitching as he wrapped his arms around his chest, an intense fiery pain pouring from the open clawed wounds over his ribs. He continued to shake, feeling the recent memories of yesterday begin to flood back into his mind. His wife, his children... Oh, oh poor Isuko. His beloved wife had perished right in front of him before his world had gone black the night before, the only other thing he had heard were his twins shrieking as a window shattered. Leuvin resisted the nurse's persistent cooing for him to lay back down, refusing to nudge when they tried to push him back down. The memories poured like heavy rain into his vision, like he was there again. He saw a dark hand reach toward him, and–  
"Don't touch me!" Leuvin shrieked, throwing up a spike of water from the healing pool he had been laying in previously, hearing a nurse shriek before he fell backward once again and his vision went black.

Leuvin woke in an ice-cold room, wrapped in seal-fur blankets and on a soft, comfortable mattress. His vision was hazy, and he could barely breathe. He must've been given a sedative after attacking... That nurse. He groaned, moving a numb hand out from under the heavy blankets to wipe his face, grimacing when he felt the cuts over his nose and eyebrow begin to scream in agony against the brush of his fingertips. He let his hand fall back to his side, blinking the blur out of his eyes so he could examine the room around him. Through half lidded, heavy eyes, he saw the room was within one of the bigger nursing quarters in the tribe. He could see a woven blue carpet on the floor, a map of the four nations on the wall, a tall white dresser across from the bed he laid on, and windows right next to him, close enough he could reach out and touch the glass if he wanted. He began to feel his head throb as the sedative began to wear off, making him let out a pained groan. He clenched his jaw as he turned his head slowly to look outside, eyes slowly opening in response to seeing what damage had been done to the tribe.  
His thoughts were interrupted by a nurse knocking on the door, making Leuvin snap his head toward the door then let out a yelp, "Come in!"  
The nurse stepped in with a concerned expression, though kept a smile on her face. She slowly walked over, keeping her hands in view as she looked over Leuvin, being careful to keep her distance lest he attack again, "Leuvin Nao... Glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?" She asked calmly, moving to take a seal-skin flask from her hip and pour some water into a cup on his beside table.  
"Could be better," He gruffed, leaning his head back into the mound of pillows behind him, eyes slowly beginning to shut again as he sighed. The nurse frowned, glancing behind her before looking back to the man.  
"We've notified your family of your condition," She started, making Leuvin's eyes shoot open as his brows furrowed. He went to sit up, but was soon brought back down by the sheer weight of his own body, head hitting the pillows and making him see stars. The nurse blinked in surprise, then sighing as she walked over to fix his pillows and blankets for him. Leuvin could only lay there and let it happen.  
"You really, really didn't have to. Really." Leuvin coughed out, the nurse shaking her head before going to grab the glass of water and gently move his hands so he was gripping the glass. Leuvin muttered a thanks before taking a sip, then shaking his head.  
"Who responded, if any?" He asked, looking toward the nurse as she folded her hands into her sleeves, thinking.  
"A man named Chauen Nao," She hummed, tapping her chin, "He said he'd be arriving tomorrow. I take it you're excited?"

Everything was black once again.


	2. Arrive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leuvin's brother, Chauen, arrives in the Northern water tribe for the first time in nearly two decades. He arrives to see his brother after the spirit attack, which the injured and unsound Leuvin is found very unwelcoming.

The sky was clear and blue, cold harsh air spreading the scent of salt and fish through the wind. It was a both welcoming and deflecting smell; bringing those familiar with the feel of the air and scent of the waves back home, and those who do not reside away from where they came. Waves crashed into the sides of the small boat, which only held a five-person crew, sending specs of salt and ocean debris over the deck. Two of the deckhands worked on bending the water off the deck of the ship, matching the rhythm of the waves in opposite to send the water back into the sea, completely focused on the task at hand. Two other crew members laid at the back of the ship, dancing along with the movement of the sea to push the boat forward-- Toward the northern pole.  
Inside the one room in the boat, where both crew and passenger slept, laid an earth-bender under the thick fur blankets the crew had supplied him. Awake, but not wanting to be, he kept his eyes shut and face buried in his pillow while listening to the sound of the crewmen's songs and movements outside, ignoring the occasional splash of water that seeped through the floorboards and dripped onto his face.  
Eventually, the man decided to sit up, grumbling as he wiped the salty sea water from his face. He slowly stood up to get dressed as he heard the waves beginning to slow and the songs halt. Finishing tying his boots, the man opened the door out to the deck, shielding his eyes from the giant white wall in front of the boat. The Northern Water Tribe.  
Home.

"Mr. Nao," The captain of the small vessel spoke as the man lowered his arm, raising a brow before laughing.  
"Chauen is fine. We've been over this, Don," The man spoke, walking over to the captain as the boat paused in front of the wall, "What's on your mind?"  
"I just wanted to come tell you we've arrived, but you can already guess." The captain laughed, moving to pat Chauen on the back. The captain then pointed up toward the wall, the guards atop raising a brow before they all began to fluidly move their bodies, lowering their hands both forcefully and gracefully. A part of the icy wall cracked and began to slowly sink down into the sea below, leaving a hole just wide enough for the boat to pass through. Chauen whistled up to the guards and offered a heart with his hands as the boat moved through the wall, leaving the guard confused and the crew in quiet laughter.  
As the boat entered the city, the wall froze again behind them.  
"So, Chauen, what was this whole trip for?" The captain hummed, glancing toward the earth bender-- who sorely stuck out in the land of white and blue in his yellow and green garb.  
"You know, I thought this whole 'favor' thing meant no questions asked," Chauen hummed with an eyebrow raise, looking up to the sky as he itched at his chin, "I distinctly remember what our deal was. You don't ask questions, I won't ask questions next time you need a favor."  
"Ahhh, fair enough, fair 'nough. Thought I could weasel my way in." The old man laughed, shaking his head as he folded his arms, then humming, "You said you needed dropped off at the hospital?"  
"That'd be correct." Chauen yawned, stretching his arms above his head before humming, "Call me when we get there. I need to pack up my stuff." He shrugged, offering a small wave to the captain before turning to retreat back to the room he had came out of.

Inside of Leuvin's room, the lights were off, the blinds were drawn, and he was buried under a mound of blankets. His eyes were wide open, staring out into the blackness of the room-- unable to feel his arms or chest, unable to move, only stare and breathe. His brows were furrowed as he stared at the darkest corner, unable to tear his eyes away, unable to stop thinking of what happened only a few nights ago. It took days, but it was finally just now sinking in. The love of his life was gone, his two children missing, and he could do nothing to fix it. He could only lay there and think. He watched the shadows in the room slowly begin to twist and contort, forming the shape of a large beast in the corner. It had four, red-purple glowing eyes, and ancient runic markings all over its body, glowing in a deep blood red. He felt his heart begin to beat quicker than he could bring himself to breathe, terror overwhelming him. He couldn't move his face from the side of the pillow, he couldn't open his mouth or make a sound, he couldn't even move his limbs to get up and run.  
Run.  
Like a coward. He swallowed hard and blinked a few times, the creature remaining in the corner while heavily breathing. He could only watch its shoulders rise and fall as it let out low growls. They both stayed staring at one another, eyes unmoving and bodies still. The silence only broke when there was a knock at the door. The creature looked toward the door, then back at Leuvin. It let out a low growl, backing up before charging at him-- and that was enough for him to let out a yell.

The nurse quickly opened the door in response to hearing Leuvin's fearful yelp, finding him sitting up and rubbing at his face, absolutely drenched in sweat. She frowned, walking over with a tray of food in her hands, moving aside the untouched breakfast tray on the bedside table she had brought earlier in the day.  
"What happened?" The nurse quietly asked, Leuvin just shaking his head as he let his hands drop on the blankets. His entire body felt like it was asleep, tiny pins and needles pricking every inch of his skin and making it difficult to move or feel anything. He could barely muster up enough force to look toward the nurse with a rather flat expression.  
"Nothing. You just startled me." He sighed, shaking his head as he glanced at the tray. His stomach curled at the thought of food, but he knew he needed to eat. He didn't want to, nor feel like he had to, but if he didn't the nurses would start getting more persistent. He frowned as he slowly moved his hands to grab the tray and set it on his lap. He took the lid off the small bowl of seaweed noodles, contemplating for a moment before grabbing the nearby chopsticks and beginning to slowly eat, ignoring the waiting nurse.  
Eventually, she cleared her throat, "I'm glad you're eating, sir. But, lunch isn't the only reason I came in here." The nurse explained, shifting the breakfast tray to one hand as she moved toward the door to turn on the lights. Leuvin blinked a few times before rolling his eyes in response to the lights being turned on, then raising a brow as he finished chewing his mouthful of noodles.  
"Your brother arrived today," She explained with a hum, clearing her throat before continuing, "I wanted to know if you wanted to see him now or after you ate. He's been sitting in the waiting room for a few hours as is." 

Leuvin blinked as he furrowed his brows, shoveling another mouthful of noodles into his mouth as he thought. He was silent for a few moments as he chewed, eventually sighing before he swallowed.  
"Send him in." He muttered, glaring at the nurse as she nodded. She only hummed and walked out with the tray, shutting the door quietly behind her. Leuvin continued to eat-- but only a few more bites before setting the tray to the side. He slowly laid back down, moving his hands back to comb his long hair out from underneath him, and let it lay over the side of the bed. Leuvin stared up at the ceiling, mentally preparing for speaking to his brother for the first time in more than two decades.

Eventually, the door opened, and a man dressed head-to-toe in earthy greens and beiges stepped into the room, brows furrowed and a concerned frown on his face.  
"Welcome home, brother," Leuvin sighed, venom in his voice as he glared toward him, "Oh how much you've missed."


	3. Revive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We visit the night Leuvin lost it all.

The night of Harmonic Convergence; a night like no other. The world was being torn apart by the Avatar and self-proclaimed "Dark Avatar"'s battle near republic city, and the rest of the world that wasn't being touched was being torn apart by dark spirits. People were running and fighting for their lives, doing what they could to protect their families, doing what they could to protect their homes, and doing what they could to protect themselves. It was a dark night and the sky danced in the clashing colors of the two fighting avatars, a battle so full of rage and emotion it sent vibrations through and around the world. People could barely hang on to life as they tried to fight the opposing spirits and the clashing of Good and Evil; but they were doing what they could. The water tribes were suffering more than Republic City, as they were closest to the two spirit portals, and fighting back the hardest.

"Get behind me!" Leuvin yelled to his wife and children, holding out an arm in front of them as the giant dark spirit in front of the family fought to claw its way through the opposing wall. The family had nowhere to run; they were on the second story of their home and the doorway downstairs had collapsed in on itself under the weight of the spirit's chaotic energy. Leuvin furrowed his brows as he extended his arms out toward the opposing wall, jerking his hands up. The dense, snow-brick walls immediately melted under his control, then shooting up to form a stronger wall of ice. The spirit roared, recoiling away from the wall for a moment. Its sixteen eyes looked around wildly, all in different directions, before looking back at Leuvin. It shrieked with its two mouths, throwing its head back and slamming the rack of horns on its head into the icy wall. The ice began to crack, and Leuvin took in a breath before he looked toward his wife and twins.  
"Isuko-- Get yourself, Misako, and Vokvi into the pantry. Under no circumstance come out unless I come get you." He said in a low, serious, and quick tone, moving to cup the side of her face and give her a quick- but loving- kiss. He then ushered for them to move as the spirit slammed its head into the wall again, the ice shattering and shards splaying across the floor.  
"GO!" He shouted at them, Isuko nodding before pulling Misako and Vokvi away from Leuvin and into the nearby pantry, shutting the door firmly behind herself and freezing the door shut with the water in the pantry's mop bucket. Leuvin's head whipped toward the spirit, brows furrowing. He growled, grounding the tips of his toes to the floor, shifting with the movement of the slowly-collapsing ceiling. He let the snow fall down onto him, then letting it melt around him. The spirit roared, lurching forward while the water around Leuvin froze at his shoulders down to his hands, becoming to giant icy knives covering both of his arms. Leuvin kicked his leg out from under himself as the spirit neared, falling onto his back, the spirit slamming its head against the cupboards and wall behind him. He lurched his arms upward into the spirit's stomach, the beast letting out a shrill scream, immediately jumping upward before falling back down, slamming it's giant paws into Leuvin's ribcage.  
Leuvin let out a loud, pained exhale, feeling a majority of his body go limp for but a second. He had no time to regain his breath before he swiped at the beast with one of the blades on his arms, making it jump again, though he rolled out from under it before it could slam into him again. The floor under the spirit began to cave, planks of wood beginning to fall into the downstairs living room at a rapid rate. The water bender stood, gasping for air, each breath a stab into his lungs, each move of his body filled with pins and needles jabbing into his skin-- but he had to keep going. He shook his head and swallowed down his slightly-metallic saliva, the ice on his arms dropping like waterfalls onto the floor. He ran toward the spirit and jumped, swinging his arms backward, then forward, the pooled water behind him shooting forward and into the creature. The beast wailed, stumbling backward and nearly taking town the wall behind it. Leuvin landed on the spirit's head, immediately crouching down and grabbing it's horns to try and pull it away from the wall that helped support the pantry-- he could hear Isuko trying to calm their children down inside.

The spirit shrieked, turning with Leuvin's pull and stampeding toward the hole from where it had came. It suddenly stopped just before it ran off the edge of the house, standing on its two hand legs and throwing its head back with enough force to launch the man off and into the cabinets it had struck before. Leuvin let out a wail in response to his back hitting the corner of the cabinets, every part of his body falling limp. He fell sideways onto the floor, unable to move, eyes wildly looking around as his breath began to quicken. He couldn't give up now, he couldn't stop. He couldn't.  
The spirit roared and began to sprint forward toward Leuvin, ramming its head full of horns into his limp body. The bender shrieked in pain, being launched into the sky and slamming into the floor, the only feeling pulsing through his body was pain. The spirit almost seemed to laugh, deep amused gurgles coming up from its throat as it neared the man's entirely limp body. Leuvin stared back at the spirit, taking in a deep breath before furrowing his brows and shutting his eyes tightly.  
Isuko stood in the pantry, holding Misako and Vokvi in her arms, holding the sides of their heads to her chest and covering their exposed ears with her hands. She stared at the frozen door, listening to the screams and wails from outside, the roaring and shrieks. She bit her lip, concern being her only expression as she looked toward the melting ceiling, holding the twins tighter before shutting her eyes tightly as she thought. She let go of the twins, shifting to stand in front of them and hold each of their hands.  
"You both stay here. I'm going to help your father." She whispered to them, moving to kiss both of their foreheads. The twins exchanged glances, Misako reaching forward and gripping her mother's sleeve, eyes wide and a frown on her face.  
"Mother, what about what father said?" Misako pleaded, Isuko moving to cup both sides of her face as she thinly smiled, "Mom's always right." Misako looked toward her brother, Vokvi only nodding softly toward his sister. Isuko gave them both another kiss on the forehead before climbing the shelves up onto the melting roof of the home, taking in a breath and exhaling softly. The snow beneath her feat began to re-freeze as she walked, slowly climbing to peer down into where the kitchen once was.

The spirit rammed its head into Leuvin again, scraping him off the floor and throwing him into the nearby wall. He let out a yell before falling back onto the floor, his head beginning to feel light and his vision beginning to fade. Isuko's eyes widened from her place on the roof, her brows then furrowing as she stood up tall and whistled. The spirit's head whipped toward her before being slapped in the face by a wave of water, making it shriek and step back from Leuvin as it shook its head. Leuvin opened his eyes, looking at his wife with a flabbergasted expression. The beast roared, immediately jumping to try and claw its way onto the roof, Isuko shifting to balance on the ice she was on and melting the portion of the ceiling the creature was clawing at. The spirit fell to the floor, the floor beginning to even more quickly cave on itself. Leuvin took in a deep breath as the floor fell out from under him, the spirit and himself falling onto the first floor.  
"Sorry, honey!" Isuko shouted as she bended the pool of water that remained of what little was left of the second floor down to create a platform of ice for her to stand on where the floor once was, Leuvin only gurgling and rolling his eyes in response. The spirit shrieked, shaking the flooring off of its back, eyes rolling to look toward Isuko. It immediately jumped upward to claw at the icy platform, clawing at it with one of it's paws, making the ice begin to crack. Isuko stepped back and attempted to re-freeze the platform before it broke entirely, but it completely shattered before she could do anything. Isuko screamed as she fell, landing on a pile of rubble below, twisting her ankle with another scream.   
The spirit looked back toward the woman, all of its eyes slowly rolling to look toward her, letting out a shriek. Leuvin's breath began to quicken as the spirit ran toward Isuko, his eyes rapidly looking around for something, anything to help-- He tried to move, he tried to bend, but nothing worked. He couldn't move, he could only move his eyes and breathe. His eyes welled up and poured over in tears as Isuko screamed.  
The spirit opened its mouths and crunched down on Isuko before she could even begin to run. She was practically torn in half and swallowed whole by the beast, Leuvin left hyperventilating on the ground pathetically as tears endlessly fell from his eyes, vision fixed on the bloodied beast.

Upstairs, the twins hugged each other desperately when they heard their mother's blood-curdling scream and the silence from their father. Vokvi's breath was quick, his gaze fixated on the frozen door in front of them both. He swallowed hard and looked toward Misako, who was blinking rapidly.  
"We have to get out of here," She whispered as she looked toward the floor, moving to let go of her brother and hold onto the heavy jacket around her shoulders. Vokvi looked toward her and blinked, recoiling a bit as he frowned.  
"We can't-- What about mom, what about dad?!" He yelled, Misako immediately clamping a hand over her brother's mouth as she shushed him. Vokvi shoved her away as he scowled, then worriedly looking toward the door, then to the singular window in the pantry. The spirit gurgled downstairs and began to scratch at the floor below the twins, both of them jumping. Vokvi then slowly looked toward Misako, eyes wide, before he slowly nodded. Misako moved to grab the bucket from the corner of the room, focusing her mind entirely on the water inside. She clumsily began to move her hands as fluidly as she could, her face scrunching up as she tried her hardest to freeze the water. The spirit downstairs began to shriek and pound on the floor below them, Vokvi jumping as he desperately looked toward Misako.  
"Hurry!" He yelped, holding onto the shelves as he stomped in retaliation on the floor.  
"If you're so talented in bending, do it yourself!" Misako yelled toward him, losing concentration on the water and it all falling to the floor. She took in a breath and glared at Vokvi before screaming as the spirit began to tear through the floor.  
"I will!" Vokvi yelped, climbing up the shelf before jumping across the growing hole in the floor, drawing back his hand and punching through the glass. Misako screamed at the sight of blood beginning to spew from his hand, Vokvi also shrieking when his gaze fixated on it. The spirit shoved its head through the hole in the floor and let out a shrill scream, both twins hugging each other and screaming back in response. Misako looked out the window and gripped onto Vokvi before stepping into the sill, kicking the rest of the glass out, then jumping out of the house. Both twins screamed before hitting the water below.

Leuvin was left watching the spirit tear into the floor below the pantry, breathing uneven as he sobbed. His sobbing only grew harder and harder as he watched the spirit continue to tear through the floor, vision blurry and body pulsing in pain. He choked on his tears and the metalicness of his throat, breath hitching when he heard the splash of water and his children's panicked voices outside. He blinked, gasping for air through his tears, the faintest of smiles crossing over his face.  
They made it.  
They were safe.  
That's all that mattered.  
Leuvin continued to gasp for air in a panic, before all went black.


	4. Remind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leuvin tells his brother, Chauen, what had happened to his family during the night of Harmonic Convergence. After a day of begrudgingly catching up with his brother, Leuvin feels inclined by forces unknown to leave the hospital building and wander into the blizzard outside.

The sun was low in the sky, orange flooding into the hospital room the Nao brothers sat in. Everything was painted golden and had sparkling pink highlights, the icy walls glittering and the seal-fur blankets and coats glistening in the light. The sunset was fading fast, however, as the dark storm clouds of a blizzard began to set in. The two brothers sat in silence, Leuvin staring down at his hands- which limply laid over his blanketed knees- and Chauen sitting in a chair he had moved to sit nearby Leuvin's bed, staring out the window blankly.  
"So... That's it. They're really all gone." Chauen mumbled, sinking back in his chair with the faintest frown spread over his face. Guilt tugged at his heart, and his body felt heavy. In the twenty-so years he'd been gone from home, he'd only met his brother's wife once- at their wedding. He'd never made an effort to come visit to meet his niece and nephew, not that Leuvin would've let him anyway, but it still hurt him. Raiding stores and getting into legal trouble all seemed so much more appealing than family in the moment, but, now... Now he wasn't so sure that was the wisest decision he had made. He sighed, rubbing his face and glancing up to see Leuvin staring at him with the mixture of anger and disbelief on his face.  
"What?!" Chauen breathed out, sitting up and raising his arms defensively, "Look, I obviously am not as effected by this as you are, but even if I didn't know them well, they were family, Leuvin! Cut me some slack! I'm devastated, so I can't even to begin to imagine how you feel!" He groaned, letting his arms fall over his chest. Leuvin rolled his eyes, weakly moving to gesture broadly to his brother.  
"You obviously weren't listening!" Leuvin croaked out, moving his other hand to brush some of his hair out of his face, "Misako and Vokvi aren't dead. I know it. They're not all really gone. The only gone one is..." His voice faded out. Leuvin shook his head and blinked a few times, letting his arms fall limp over his blanket again, eyes slowly drifting toward the window beside his bed. Chauen stared at his brother, biting the inside of his cheek before sighing. He sank back in his chair and crossed his arms, eyes drifting to the floor. The two fell into a silence.

Leuvin's head suddenly whipped toward the door a few seconds before there was a knock, Chauen blinking as he stared at Leuvin. He cleared his throat and looked toward the door, eyebrow raised.  
"Uh, come in!" Chauen shouted out, keeping his eye on the door. Leuvin blinked moments before the door opened, groaning before falling back into his pillows. He rolled onto his side so his back faced the door, Chauen looking back toward his brother and frowning. Leuvin's assigned nurse entered the room, peeking in and blinking before she smiled.  
"I just have a few snacks," She hummed, walking into the room to set a tray of assorted small sushi-rolls on the bedside table. Chauen's eyes widened before he grinned, looking toward the nurse with a hum.  
"These look delicious, but not half as good as you, doll." He hummed, the nurse blinking before her face flushed. She only laughed, waving her hands before quickly ducking out of the room. Chauen grinned, immediately reaching toward the platter to grab a few of the rolls with his bare hand and shove them in his mouth. Leuvin rolled slightly to look toward Chauen, half of his face buried in the blankets, eyes narrowed.  
"Whaf?" Chauen asked, brow raised. His brother only rolled his eyes before going back to looking out the window. The two fell into another silence.

It was late at night, and snow hammered onto the ground outside, wind screaming as it blew by the hospital's windows. Chauen, as he was too cheap to leave and get a hotel room somewhere, slept on the floor near the dresser in the corner of the room. Leuvin sat awake, staring out the window, watching the wind and snow blind his view of the outside world. It almost made him feel trapped. He sighed, looking toward his sleeping brother before going to sit up and weakly swing his legs over the side of the bed. Matching his footsteps to the sound of Chauen's snores, he slowly stumbled toward the room's door, opening and closing it almost silently.  
He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but he did know most of the staff would either be asleep or monitoring patients while they slept, to be sure they made it through the night, so he wouldn't be caught. Leuvin quietly limped down the hallway, gripping the thin robes around his shoulders in his thin hands. The air was stagnant and cold, the tile against his feet almost like ice to the touch. He felt his legs and feet begin to settle into a familiar groove as he continued down the hall, vision fading between consciousness and unconsciousness. He could hear the singing of the stars against the screaming of the wind outside, and felt himself longing to be close to the chaotic beat of nature's music. Leuvin shut his eyes for a moment as he continued to walk, following the beautiful sounds of harmonious chaos, following blindly. His hands draped over the front door's handles, and he found himself subconsciously gripping onto them and pushing the door open. Snow and wind immediately bombarded him, knocking him to the ground. Leuvin yelped out in pain, then covering his mouth with his hand as he glanced back. He heard one of the doors down the hall open. Cursing, he looked back outside, watching the doors flail in the wind. He didn't know why he wanted-- No, needed, to go outside. He didn't want to. It was so cold... But he needed to.

Leuvin pushed himself to stand, heaving with burning lungs as he walked outside, clothes and hair billowing in the wind. The cold stabbed through him, and the wind almost blew him over, yet he felt stronger than he had been. He glanced toward the open doors and sucked in a breath, jaggedly moving his arms and legs in a contorted dance to bend the icy doors shut. He nearly fell over due to the force of the storm and the energy it took to shut the doors, but he took in a breath and continued on. He slowly began to step, weak and frail body fighting against the snow, darkness enveloping him. He didn't know why he was out here. He looked up and could no longer see the tribe around him, he was somewhere different entirely. A vast, snowy plain, alone. By himself. Leuvin took in a breath as his eyes darted around, he gripped the lose robe he had on tight to himself, feeling the snow and ice beginning to freeze his hands and feet.  
"It's... Too cold..." He shakily murmured, grimacing as he fell to his knees. He looked around helplessly, the snow beginning to stick to his hair and clothes. The darkness was overwhelming, the storm's siren song had become a ballad of death. He choked on a cough, shivering violently as he fell to his elbows, keeping himself up on his forearms. He could see bright, red eyes in front of him. So many eyes. Eyes he recognized. His breath quickened, fighting to move, fighting to get up and run, but the snow was becoming too heavy. The eyes began to get closer and closer, rapidly closing in on him-- Leuvin shrieked as the familiar beast roared, throwing his arm up in one last attempt to protect himself. A giant spike of ice shot from the ground, the beast slamming into it and falling just as Leuvin's world fell black.

"What the hell was he doing out in that storm?!" Chauen groaned, putting his face in his hands as he paced outside one of the healer's rooms in the hospital. He knew nothing the nurses did with fancy glowing water would fix what Leuvin had done to himself. Chauen rubbed at his nose, grumbling to himself before he decided to sit down on the floor just beside the door. He remembered the look in his brother's eyes, collapsed in the snow and helpless-- He had looked at him like he was some sort of monster, coming to attack him! He was lucky Leuvin's spike hadn't been closer, and lucky he hadn't broken his nose when he slammed into it.  
Chauen only huffed, rubbing at his temples. He didn't remember his brother being so... Lost, so confused. Granted, what had happened would drive anyone mad, but he didn't think his brother would be just anyone. Leuvin had always been stronger, unflinching when it came to harsh news or seeing things he hadn't been meant to see- he'd always been good at dealing with things. Chauen never thought he'd see this from his brother... But there's a first time for everything. Things had been different from the convergence; airbenders were popping up out of nowhere, and spirits were now intertwined with the mortal world. Governments were scared, they didn't know what to do, and it didn't help the North was a mess with their tribal chief's defeat and his twins taking over. Things were a mess, but granted, it had only been a week since what had happened happened. Chauen didn't expect the world to recover instantly... And he shouldn't expect the same from Leuvin.  
"This family shit is hard." He sighed, moving to rub his face before looking toward the door as it opened. Leuvin was standing, leaning on a nurse for support (as he had refused to be carried back to his room), and with temporary bindings on his hands and arms. Chauen stood, looking down at his older brother with a frown, then shaking his head and grinning.  
"You know, I thought I was the one who'd end up in cuffs when I came here!" He laughed, the nurse raising a brow as Leuvin sluggishly rolled his eyes.  
"Shuddup." He murmured, words slurring together as he swayed, his balance still uneven. Chauen raised a brow as he looked toward the nurse.  
"What'd you guys give him in there? The special kind'a herbs?" He asked genuinely, gesturing to his dazed looking brother. The nurse just sighed, shaking his head.  
"No, sir. Hypothermia; we've been regulating his body temperature using warmed water in one of our pools, and now we're moving him back to his room. Since you've already made yourself at home," The nurse hummed, in reference to the makeshift sleeping mat Chauen had made from the carpet and spare pillows in Leuvin's room, "You'll be in charge of warning us if you feel as if he's declining. After all, you're his brother. You'd know him acting off better than us." He shrugged, beginning to slowly walk with Leuvin to direct him back to his room. Chauen blinked and frowned, sighing as he followed.


	5. Survive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levuin and Chauen begin to make up for lost time and talk to one another, however, their talk is short lived.

"What on Earth were you thinking?!" Chauen growled into his hands, watching his older brother huddle beneath a mound of blankets, "I can't believe I'm stuck babysitting my own brother. My older brother." He sighed, moving to fall into a sit on top of the mat he had been sleeping on only a few hours prior. Only Levuin's eyes poked out of his mound of blankets, the rest of him stuck shivering underneath the heavy cloth. He still felt so cold, but he couldn't figure out how to communicate that. He felt dizzy, his sweat felt hotter than fire, and his fingers felt colder than any ice he had ever touched. Levuin squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before letting out a tired sigh, sinking back into the mattress below him. Looking up toward the dark ceiling, Levuin could still hear the singing of the stars outside, the beat of the cosmos on the clouds' drums. He narrowed his eyes as the sounds grew louder in his head, the drumming and singing growing in volume, to the point it was the only thing he could hear.   
"Shudd'up." He murmured under his blankets, eyes squeezing shut. He dragged his hands slowly from his waist up to his head, beginning to massage his temples beneath his blankets. Chauen almost immediately shot up, eyebrows raised and a more-than-annoyed expression on his face.  
"Excuse me?!" He said loudly, making Levuin's eyes slowly open. The water bender sat up, only slightly, glaring toward his brother and shushing him. Chauen blinked for a moment before going to stand up, rolling up his sleeves as he walked over to his now officially bedridden brother.  
"Oh, I have about had it with you--" He said in an accusatory way, mimicking a strangling motion in the air before throwing his hands up, "I get that you're going through a rough patch and all, I can't begin to imagine how you feel, but I'm trying my best to be nice to you and you act like this to me?! Not even a bit of politeness?! Can I at least get a thank y--"  
"Not. You." Levuin suddenly snapped toward Chauen, making the Earth bender pause, "Them." The man sighed as he vaguely gestured with a motion of his head out the window, Chauen's eyes following his brother's motion. All he could see was snow hailing down, covering every part of his childhood tribe in a thick layer of pure white. It was dark, not a star to be seen, but thunderous clouds blanketing the sky. He squinted, a look of confusion overtaking his anger as he looked back down at his brother.  
"The storm?"  
"No." Levuin groaned in annoyance, moving to sluggishly shake off a few layers of blankets, exposing his face back into the cold hospital air. He recoiled a bit before looking around the room, beginning to slightly shiver once more. Chauen opened his mouth to speak, but was shushed without his brother even looking at him. Chauen's brows furrowed before Levuin pointed to a painting on the wall, a night-time landscape with hundreds of brilliant stars on the canvas.  
"Them."  
"The painting?"  
"Are you dense?"

"Look, I'm trying! I don't know what's going on in your head!" Chauen growled as he rubbed his hands over his face, then turning to look at the painting on the wall. He peered over it, not taking in any real detail, mainly focusing on the colors. He scratched at his head before looking back at Levuin, a puzzled expression on his face.  
"The sky?" He asked, in a much softer, more serious tone, "Is the sky too loud?" Levuin only offered a vague look in response, something that told Chauen he was at least half right. He nodded, itching at the stubble on his chin before pulling the chair in the room back over next to Levuin's bed, sitting next to him and folding his arms.  
"Why don't we try and make some conversation then, try and tune the sky out, yea?" He smiled a toothy smile, Levuin looking back toward him with a brow lazily raised. He began to wrap himself back into the blankets again as he laid down, staring up at the ceiling once more. Chauen frowned before seeing the subtle, delayed nod of his brother's head, his smile then picking right back up.   
"Okay, well, we haven't seen each other since you got, uh," Chauen lowered his voice for a moment, "Married," He then coughed, "So we have a lot of things to catch each other up on!" He clasped his hands together, Levuin seeming to toil the thought over for a moment before shrugging.   
"I suppose… So." He murmured hoarsely, flexing his hands under his blankets, slowly beginning to regain overall feeling in his limbs, "What… Have you been up to? Living?"   
"Oh, uhm…" Chauen paused, eyebrows raising as he began tapping his fingers together, "Nothing you'd be a fan of, I'm sure. I've been living in uh, Republic City, now, though. Close to mom and dad." He shrugged, Levuin almost immediately grimacing at the mention of their parents. Chauen took note of this, laughing it off as he waved his hands, "Not that we're any closer than you are to 'em! Haven't talked in a long while, they're doing fine, though." He lied, which Levuin found a bit of peace in. He didn't want to drag his parents into this, he felt bad enough worrying them with that call about him being attacked… Not that he could have controlled that happening.  
"That's… Good. That they're good…" Levuin murmured, his eyes slowly turning to look toward his brother with a tired expression on his face, "I've been… Working, mostly. Teaching… Bending to kids. Think I'm going to stop that now, though." He sighed, gaze rolling back toward the ceiling. Chauen frowned slightly.  
"I'm sure you'll still be able to teach, Vi," He cleared his throat as his brother shot him a warning glance, "The healers up here are the best, remember? You can't get any better than Northern healers." He smiled brightly, Levuin only shaking his head slightly.  
"No. I'll be fine. But I… Need to look," He vaguely motioned with his hand under his blanket, "For… Them. Misako. Vokvi."   
"… Oh, Lev." Chauen's frown returned, deeper than it had been. Levuin looked toward him with a brow raised, expression then hardening as he realized what his brother meant by that statement. He knew they weren't dead, he heard them escape. His own brother was painting him as insane.  
"You still, clearly, did not listen to my recanting;" Levuin began as he suddenly sat up, preparing to lecture his brother. As he sat abruptly, the wound on his abdomen seared in pain, nearly as much as it did when that spirit-- no, creature-- had raked its claws into him. His breath hitched while his hand blindly searched for his side, nearly all his senses going blank. Everything was static, the room was dark, and the wind howled outside. Levuin gritted his teeth together, breathing slowly beginning to pick up before he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Then everything was suddenly back to normal, save for the soreness in his side.  
"Heyheyhey, lay back down. You're still hurt, stupid." Chauen said seriously, moving to help his brother slowly lay back down. Levuin sighed in relief as his body relaxed back against the mattress, Chauen then letting go of him and folding his arms. Levuin could only mutter a thanks before putting one of his hands over his face, Chauen taking it as a sign it was time to go ahead and settle back in. The Earth bender gave a nod, awkwardly fixing his brother's pillows for him before putting the chair back to the side of the room, then returning to his mat. He sat down, watching as his brother fell silent and began staring out the window, a flat expression on his face with his hand loosely resting over his mouth. Chauen had never seen his brother like this, and he wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to help Levuin, he wanted to be there for him, but at the same time… They hadn't necessarily been friends since they were preteens. He only sighed, moving to lay back down on his mat and get as comfortable as he could on the cold floor, wrapping himself in a thin blanket he had brought with him. He decided to make a promise to himself, to help his brother, in whatever delusion he was in about finding Misako and Vokvi-- for the sake of making sure his brother didn't get himself killed. Chauen supposed he'd be stuck in the Northern Water Tribe for a while, now.


End file.
